Device for introducing washing agents into the vessel containing suds of a fully automatic washing machine



United States Patent [72] Inventor Walter Holler E References Cited grosteweg 19, Meersburg Bodensee, UNITED STATES PATENTS.

y 1,756,688 4/1930 Hutchinson 251/1 1X [21] Appl. No. 639,252 2,271,307 III 942 Ray 251/1 IX [22] Filed y 1 1 3,108,613 10/1963 Bochan 137/610X I 1 Patented Nov-24,1970 3,166,052 111'96'5 P3155115... m/mx Primary Examiner-Alan Cohan I [54] DEVICEFOR INTRODUCING WASHING AGENTS Assistant ExaminerDavid R. Matthews INTO THE VESSEL CONTAINING SUDS OF A Attorney-Kenyon & Kenyon, Reilly Carr & Chapin FIJLLY AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINE 8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs. 1 [52] US. 137/387,

137/61 1, 251/1 1 ABSTRACT: This invention relates to water switches for auto- [51] Int. Cl F16]: 31/44 matically controlled washing machines having one or more [50] Field of Search 137/387, containers for washingagents. The improvement comprises an adjustable water switch which admits incoming water selectively into the suds tank or into a washing agent container.

, tank.

and the main washing periods.

intended for use in-the niairi washingproces's. his also possible T e VESSEL CONTAININGSUDS or'A ruL-LY,

' AUTOMATIC-WASHING MACHINE nrsctos'uiiiior The invention t'ainer for the washingagehtjand shutolf valves for water through which firstly 'watei'and, after an adjustable level has been reached, the-washihgagent is, or'agents are, passed into psi/rel: roa iizr tonucihGJWAsriiNc canrs mro i- Thelinveritio'n hits'r'e'rr'eriee s a fully automatically ,co'n- .trolledwashing majchine-liaving oheor-rnore than one conthe vessel containing-the suds, hereinafter called the suds Hitherto twoinagne'tic' valvesfhave been-used in such devices, which atone time admit tot'he'si jds tank plain water I and, at another tinlel watler passed through the container for the washingagent."The;disadvantagebfsuch an arrangement is that twomagnetie valves are required. In addition to the more complicatecll co'n r'uction-f'and to the larger spacev required, the arrangementhas the further drawback that it requires the control timed succession;

of the two magnetic valves in accurately Theobject of the pr'esent-' ihvention is to'eli minate these drawbacks, and to .pass plain": water, as well aswater flowing through one more thatifone container'forwashing agent through a single"magnetic'valve, e.g.fo'r both the prewashing Accordingto the invention" water switch"capableiof being adjusted is arranged insuch a manner that it"adrnits the incoming water selectively, either immediatelyintothesuds tank or container or via a washing agent container. 0bviously,it is also'possible, according to the this"object'is achievedin that a electromagnetically, in one direction or in .the opposite directiomand for the pressure head to produce the control movement and to provide the shutoff pressure. Thus thepressureheacl is used in this arrangement as the effective control factor. 1

his also within the ambit of the invention to provide a plurality of water switches .in' the inlets to the diverse washing agent containers.

Thus, in; all embodiments of the invention,- aconsttltctional simplification is achievedlby the use of a singlemagnetic, valve only. This simplification can even 'be carried further by providing the 'magneticvalve with the valve flap adapted to act As to the control ofithe'magnetic valve,,there are,m'any possibilities, viz, cbntrohindependence onthe fluxof time, in de- .peiidence-on' temperature or in dependence on the pressure as awater switch.

head, it being obviously also possible is utilize these controlling factors in any optional combination.

The operation of the valve flap resemblesthat of a switching contact as it directs theinflowing water either inonedirection or in another, itbeing obv-iously'possible to arrange instead of one'admissio n andtwo dischargepaths;' for instance, one admissiori'an'd more than two discharge paths.

The invention also. renders it possible to associate several admissionpathswith a single discharge path, or to associate a invention, for the water switch to pass the admitted'plain water in the first placethrough one container, which accom modates a prewashing agent and which, aftertheend of the prewashing phase effects 'a switchover in order then .to'admit the washing water through the container fora washing agent toeffect oneor more than one additional-switchover for the purpose of allowing thefwat'er to flowithrough Other'centainers, e.g, containers for use during rins ing,.or during I starchingorin othei' processes. l p

l consists. in that the water An advantageous arrangement water inlet andada pted at one time, to stop the admission ofwater tothe' container for the washing agent'and at another time, to stop the admission of wa'terto' thesuds tankof the machine. This arrangementi'esults in a p'articularsirn'plificatioh if thevalve proper is'de sigried atthe same time as the water switch.

Furthermore, it

number of admission paths with a multitude of discharge paths.

Pobviously, it'is also possible toeffect the control in depenjd'enceon the'liquid level within the suds tank by effecting the switchover either in dependenceon the time when the magnetic valve opens and allows water-to flow into the suds tank or vessel, or to effect the switchover of the valve flap by means of a level regulator. with this last-mentioned arrangement the effectis obtained'that', particularly during the admission of the switch is designed-ash flap acting as a valve arranged in the principalwashing agent, a certain quantity'of water is already 1 admitted tothe suds tank and is thus more evenly distributed therein than if it were'admitted to the emptysuds tank excessive concentration and were then to remain within the sump 'of the suds tank without participating in the washing acis 'of advantage to control the operation of the valve flap thermostatically, e .g. by' mean's of a bimetal strip or spring. In such an arrangement it is possible to control for the heating of the'bimetalstrip as a c'ontro l factor for the flapoperjation'. a There i s-the altern l iv' possibility of controlling the dis placement of theivalve flap pneumatically, e .g.,by nieans of a v ,reference i'fsmade to the accompanyingdrawing whichillusv, v the operation ofthe flap with the bimetalstrip either 1 nd e"pendentiy of the water temperature, or to utiliz'e'the time required heatin'gcoilra'rranged within a bellows which 'isoperatively connected with the flap, the heating of theair enclosed within the bellows, by means of the heatiiig cQiL'effec'ting a'motion of the bellows together with the flap in this embodiment of the tion proper.

. if the, movable end ofa valveflap acting as a shutoff means, is so placed into thestrean'iof water that itis retained in that position by the passing water, then a minor deflection to one side or to theothe'r is sufficient for effecting a rapidand sudde'n deflection of the flapin one direction'or in the opposite directionifvery little energyis then required for. displacing the valve or shutoff flap,'fro'm its symmetrical intermediate position.

' Finally, it is, possible touse a cascade. arrangement if the ad- :mission of water is to be'effected via .a nuriiber of water switchesv fin} order to more I particularly describe the invention trates the invention byway. of example-only, and wherein:

FIG. 1 showsthe conventional method and the arrangement used for introducing washing' agent into thewasliing' suds tank,

inventionboth the heating and time are used as controlling factors since the change or thetemperature is effected within a period of time and is, therefore, dependent on the time.

Moreover, itlis'of advantage to design the bellows which encloses the air and-the heating coil, as ashutof f means which atrangement results in a'further simplification of the construction. v

respectively;

. FIG. 2' shows diagrammatically the use of a waterswitch for ."carrying out such introduction;

FIG. Qillustrates athermostatically controlled water switch; FIG 4 shows a pneumatically controlled water switch;

- FIG. 5 illustrates'an expansible bellows which at the same time acts asa shutoff means and Further, it'is of advantage to arrange the'heatingcoil in se- I ries with the solenoid coil of the magnetic valve, the latter coil being arranged within the water inlet which leads to the valve FIG. 6 illustrates; in principle, the possibility of displacing the valve flap by adv'ancecontro].

In FIG, 1 the direction of the arrow 1 indicates the admis-p sion of water into a distributor socket 2, From the socket 2 the water is branched off in the direction of the arrow 3 to a magnetic valve 4, and in the direction of the arrow 5 to a magnetic valve 6. From the magnetic valve 4 the water then enters the washing vessel or tank 8, e.g. via a container 7 filled with softening washing agent. From the magnetic valve 6, on the other hand, the water is fed likewise into the suds tank 8 via an additional container 9, which, for instance, may be filled with the washing agent proper.

It will be understood that, whenever the water entering the suds tank 8 in the direction of the arrow 1 is passed in the first place through the containers 7 and 9 for the washing agents, such a strong concentration of washing agent occurs in the lowermost part of the suds tank, that during the immediately following washing phase there is no certainty of a full utilization of the suds, i.e., ofthe washing agent having been distributed uniformly within the suds.

In fig. 2 in which identical reference numerals denote the same parts as in FIG. 1, an embodiment is shown which includes a water switch 10. This water switch allows the admission of water either in the direction of the arrow 11 immediately to the suds tank 8 or. after adjustment of the water switch in the direction of arrow 12, to the container 7 for washing agent. lfas in FIG. l-there is provided an additional container 9 for washing agent, then the water switch will switch over after a further influx to the said container 9, after the container 7 has been emptied of washing agent.

The further FIGS. of the drawing illustrate water switches which in each case distribute the incoming water from one inlet to two discharges. There could be provided, of course, an additional water switch in one discharge or in the other whereby water could be admitted to an optional number of containers for washing agent through water switches arranged in series.

In the arrangement according to FIG. 3, the water entering through the inlet 13 inthe direction of the arrow 1 is passed first in the direction of the arrow 14 immediately into the tank or vessel which contains the suds. The water switch is provided with a valve flap 15 which in the position shown in full lines in the FlG., engages the valve seat 16 and thereby prevents the discharge through the container 7 for washing agent (not shown) in the direction of the arrow 17. If the bimetal strip 18 which is shown in dotted lines, is heated by the heating coil 19, which is shown only diagrammatically, then it causes the flap 15 to be moved in the direction of the arrow 20 until said flap reaches the position shown in dotted lines at 21. In this position of the'flap the water admitted through the inlet enters the container for the washing agent in the direction of the arrow 17. If the magnetic valve 4 arranged in front of the inlet 13 is switched off, then the heating coil 19 is likewise deenergized and the flap 15 is made to return again into the position shown in full lines in FIG. 3.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 4 the valve flap 15 is operated pneumatically since the heating coil 19 is arranged within a bellows 23. The bellows is filled with air and, if the coil 19 is heated, it causes the air surrounding same to expand so that the flap 15 is moved by the bellows through an actuating rod 24 into the dotted lines position 21. The effect is then the same as that described with reference to FIG. 3.

The water switch 10 shown in FIG. 5 makes use of almost the same principle. In this case, however, a bellows 25 is provided which at the same time acts as a shutoff means for the discharge of water in the direction of the arrow 14. If after heating the wire of the coil 19, and owing to the expansion of the air enclosed within said bellows, the body of the latter assumes the position shown in dotted lines at 26, a spring-loaded throttle flap 27 is made to open only when the bellows 25 prevents the direct water flow in the direction of the arrow 14 when said bellows are in the dotted lines position 26. The pressure exerted upon the throttle flap 27 is then considerably increased as the escape in the direction of the arrow 14 is then blocked, so that the flap 27 is made to open thereby causing the water to flow in the direction of the arrow 17 and to wash the washin agent into the suds tank.

FIG. 6 s ows diagrammatically that it IS possible to arrange the flap 15 in such manner that it assumes the symmetrical position shown in full lines within the water admission 13, so that even a small deflection in the direction of the arrows 28 and 29 is sufficient for removing the flap from the symmetrical position by a change of the pressure head acting on the frontal face of the flap. By this action either the discharge in the direction of the arrow 14 or that in the direction of the arrow 17 is prevented.

I desire to be understood that the invention as hereinbefore described is capable of modification in various ways within the scope of the appended claims, and that it is applicable not only to washing machines for laundry purposes, but also to other washing machines, e.g., dishwashers.

lclaim:

1. An automatically controlled washing machine comprising main water supply conduit, a washing tank, at least one container for a washing medium, said at least container having its outlet opening connected to said washing tank first and second branch conduits connected to said main water supply conduit, the region of connection thereof forming a common chamber, said first branch conduit having its outlet into said washing tank, said second branch conduit having its outlet into said washing machine container, an electromagnetically controlled valve positioned within said main water supply conduit, a water switch positioned within said common chamber, said water switch being adapted to assume a first position wherein the flow of water through said first branch conduit is blocked and water is permitted to flow through said second branch conduit into said washing medium container and to assume a second position wherein the flow of water through said second branch conduit is blocked and water is permitted to flow through said first branch conduit into said washing tank and control means for operating said switch between said first and second positions.

2. A washing machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said water switch comprises a valve flap positioned in said chamber, the flap effecting in alternation the shutoff of water flow to said first and second branch conduits respectively.

3. A washing machine as claimed in claim 2 wherein said control means includes a heating coil and operation of said flap is effected thermostatically.

4. A washing machine as claimed in claim 3 wherein said control means further includes a bimetal spring.

5. A washing machine as claimed in claim 2 wherein said control means effects displacement of the valve flap pneumatically.

6. A washing machine as claimed in claim 5 wherein said pneumatic control means includes a heating coil arranged within a bellows connected with the valve flap, the displacement of the bellows and of the valve flap being effected by the heating of the air enclosed within the said bellows.

7. A washing machine as claimed in claim 6 in which said bellows with air and a heating coil enclosed therein is designed as a shutoff means.

8. A washing machine as claimed in claim 7 wherein the heating coil is arranged in series with the solenoid coil of said electromagnetically controlled valve positioned within said main water supply conduit. 

